What Would Martha Think?

When I moved into our humble little home in 2001, I didn't really mind that there was no dishwasher in the kitchen. Then in 2003, I had my first baby, & found myself washing a lot of bottles. Then in 2005, I had twins... more bottles. Then surprise in 2007 when I found out I was pregnant again.... well, my mom insisted she'd help pay for a dishwasher if we promised to find a way to get it into our kitchen. The point is over the years, my #1 luxury item has become paper plates. I'm an extremely casual mom, and even a casual hostess. I usually just buy the extra nice paper plates for company. But here's how I know that perhaps I've taken the whole California casual thing a bit too far.

Monday night, Lorelei was asked to go to her friend Ella's birthday dinner. She's been to a lot of birthday parties, but this was just a family dinner with one special friend. Needless to say, she was totally excited about it. When she got home, she said this to me, "Mom, at Ella's house, they had these things like our towels (pointing to a dishtowel) but they were smaller and they had these circle rings around them by our plates."

Somehow this made me feel defensive, "I have some of those too you know, they're called napkin rings. I got some as a wedding gift in '97, and I'm still planning on using them..... just haven't had a chance yet."

Kids. They're so easily impressed, I tell you. Maybe this week, I'll show them that glass gravy boat I've been meaning to use. That'll really score points.

Junk Food Junkie

You know how people make jokes about housewives sitting around all day eating bon bons and watching soaps? Well, I'm happy to say, I gave up the soap habit after my senior year in high school. I still occasionally catch glimpses of Susan Lucci on Regis and I find myself imagining Erika Kane is my actual mother from her 3rd marriage and I'm going to inherit her cosmetics company, and live happily ever after in Pine Valley. What? Like you never saw an episode of All My Children..... So anyway, that leaves the bon bons issue. Lately, I have been trying not to buy as much junkfood because Dan's on an "I'm turning 40 this year, I need to get in shape," health kick. But the truth is it still comes to me. Valentine's Day parties at school, half off prices on post holiday bags of Hershey's kisses call my name in the grocery aisle. I can't resist! So I should change the name of my blog to True Confessions or something, because that's all I ever do, confess, confess, confess. I often eat Hershey's kisses till I feel a little bit sick, and then to counteract those mid-morning (yep, mid-morning) indulgences, I skip lunch, then binch on vanilla wafers because I'm starved by 3.

There I said it. Do you all feel a little bit better about yourselves or what?

An Aside: Whilst writing this post, one of the twins ran in screaming that her sister hit her. I went out to the living room and asked said twin if this was true, and if so was that kind, etc. Then I asked her, (just out of curiosity) why she did it. (I could see that their dolls were all lined up behind them). Through some overly dramatic tearful sobbing, she said, Because she wouldn't let me be the blahhbla, and I wanted to be the blahhhba. "The what?" I asked. She calmed down the sobs and enunciated more clearly for me, "the pastor, I wanna be the pastor!"

Um, okay, glad to see you're learning a lot from all those Sundays spent in church, carry on.

The Baby of the Family

So for years, my sister and I have given my mom untold amounts of grief about her treatment of our youngest brother, Mikie, the "baby of the family." All he has to do is give my mom a look, and she runs to the kitchen and makes him a grilled cheese sandwich. What, what's that you say, you need some money, here, will a hundred do? Can I do your laundry for you? What? You don't like that mean professor and you wanna drop that class? Okee Dokee! Whereas I swear, she made us do our own ironing in second grade and when we were like 6, she would say, if you want a lunch, you have 2 hands, make it yourself.

Well, now the joke's on me. Now I have my very own, "baby of the family," Miss Morgan Paige, currently 19 & a half months. There's 2 things going on when I look at her. The first one is guilt, because I drag her around to pick up her sisters and I often ignore her while she stomps around the house because I'm so busy reprimanding and refereeing the other 3. The second thing I feel is this sad sort of tugging feeling at my heart. She's the last one I have in diapers, the last one with a pacifier obsession, the last one that talks with baby talk, she's SOOOOO CUTE! I can't stand it!

So here it is; my latest confession, my youngest child can do no wrong in my eyes. The other 3 are mischevious, ungrateful little creatures, but not my Shmorgie-Morgie.... and with sentiments like that she'll probably be the one that ends up in prison or worse, on a reality show.

When I Was 15...

So, basically when I was 15, I was wearing tapered jeans, overly-plucking my eyebrows, and making collages out of magazine pictures for the back of my door in an attempt to be artistic and profound.  Meanwhile, at the age of 15 (I think) one of my students just turned this poem in:

Snow White

by D. Sauerbier

It happened once upon a time, or so the story goes,

Everything was perfect; no worries, pain, or woes.

But there was one condition, on which that life relied:

And to the world's destruction, an order they defied.

Snow White ate the apple, and the whole world died.

What once was pure and golden, was shadowed, dark, and cold.

What was meant to live forever, withered and grew old.

Truths never before questioned, were buried deep in lies.

Blackened hearts turned to stone that let the light pass by.

Snow White bit the apple, and the whole world died.

Then came a light far greater than any seen before.

Sin was illuminated, and lost hopes were restored.

But the story wasn't over, there was much still to decide:

Would they follow light and goodness, or keep within their night?

The Prince kissed Snow White, and the world opened its eyes.

Each time a soul surrendered to be led from wicked days,

The great light would rejoice and gladly show the way.

If ever their feet wandered, the light would catch their fall;

Side-by-side with it they walked, until homeward it did call.

The Prince Welcomed his bride, and happily ever after lived all.

Wow, a metaphor for the fall and redemption of man using an allusion to a classic fairy tale princess?  Um, yeah, what were you doing when you were 15? 

You Go Greta

As a mom with little ones, I often find myself saying, "she's going through a phase."  Sometimes, it's a "I love my polly pockets phase", sometimes it's a "I only like to eat peanut butter/banana/honey sandwiches" phase, sometimes it's a "I temporarily am only able to say no and mommy" so I use those 2 words to communicate all things phase.  Nevertheless the phases are constantly ebbing in and out of our little home.  

So I guess it should come as no surprise, that even as adults, Dan and I go through our own myriad of phases.  I recently went through the "I secretly go to a tanning booth because it boosts my endorphins and makes me look not so yellow so stop judging me okay phase", and now I'd say it's official, Dan is going through a "I love to watch Fox News" phase.  So here's the deal, now that we watch a whole lotta Fox news, I've realized something; Greta Van Susteren is my favorite.  She thinks clearly, rationally, independently.  She's not as snide as O' Reilly, and not as ridiculously partisan as Hannity, and you know what she's kind of funny sometimes.  So folks you heard it here first, the blogger that likes to fake tan and tends to buy magazines more for the pictures than the articles is now a Greta Van Susteren fan.  Baby steps, people, baby steps...

The Wedding

                                                            Parker, my nephew, was the ring bearer.

                                               Above, Ashley, the perfect California bride, and Beau
                                                  This is Darcy, mother of the groom, my very

                                              animated sister in law, hope I look this good when

                            my kids get married, and here's her daughter, Abby, age 10
                                                   The family shot
                                            Dan's mom and 2 sisters & below, Dan, his oldest brother, Tim

                                       and his dad..... definitely seein' a resemblance here 
Well, the big week has come to an end.  We hosted, we ate, we played tour guide, and we had a great time with 20 different members of Dan's immediate family.  The ten days ended with a Saturday wedding between my nephew Beau and his bride Ashley.  Dan's oldest brother is only 45 and watching his son get married (age 22).  Amazing... Dan's dad is a retired pastor & he had the joy of being able to perform the ceremony for his oldest grandchild, 1 down, 24 to go!  

The wedding was great, everything ran smoothly, we had so much fun catching up with everyone, and we felt blessed by the unifying bond we all have in Christ.  

Sunday ended up being special too.  We took our inlaws to Grace Community Church, where John MacArthur was celebrating his 40th year as pastor there.  Naturally there was special music, Jubilant Sykes, and a special speaker, Ian Murray, who is an amazing and humble man.  We own his books, so it was awesome to see the famous biographer in person.  He was an assistant to Martin Lloyd Jones, a bit of a living legend really, and let's face it whenever you speak with a Scottish accent, you're automatically memorable and adorable.

In all, I'm grateful for last week's adventure, but I'm also grateful to get back in a routine.  Usually, I complain about the daily grind, but I have to say, that it's the interruptions in the schedule that help us to appreciate our little routines and our quiet lives.

(I'm rethinking that last adjective there, it really isn't the best word to describe being a mom of 4, but hopefully, you know what I'm getting at).